I've been spending a lot of time recently trying to figure out who makes/supplies the Walmart brand Super Tech oil. Obviously Walmart does not manufacutre this oil so they have to purchase this oil somewhere. The Super Tech oil also comes with the approval stamp on each bottle so this indicates the oil has passed all requirements.

I tried searching this question here but was unable to find any answers. Another question raised is....if the Super Tech oil (Conventional & Synthetic) is the same as Castrol/Mobil 1/Valvoline...how is Walmart able to sell the oil so much cheaper?

I've been spending a lot of time recently trying to figure out who makes/supplies the Walmart brand Super Tech oil. Obviously Walmart does not manufacutre this oil so they have to purchase this oil somewhere. The Super Tech oil also comes with the approval stamp on each bottle so this indicates the oil has passed all requirements.

I tried searching this question here but was unable to find any answers. Another question raised is....if the Super Tech oil (Conventional & Synthetic) is the same as Castrol/Mobil 1/Valvoline...how is Walmart able to sell the oil so much cheaper?

This seems to be like the universe....nobody can explain it.

There has actually been many posts on here regarding supertech. Try using google, it seems to work well to search for BITOG posts. I believe it is Warren Petroleum Products (WPP) at least where I live anyway. Yes it meets all current specs, and seems to be highly regarded here in the BITOG community. I've not tried it myself but I wouldn't hesitate to. In response to the question in the title of your post, base stock is what the oil manufacturer starts with, (after the refining process) and they use different additives to give it its viscosity, cleaning properties, etc.

Well, *Walmart's Super Tech oil is made/blended by several companies such as Exxon/Mobil or Warren Performance Products or Warren Uni-Lube. Or maybe even others such as Costal, IDK.

I'm sure it's contract based and could be contract based by region and grade of oil. I have noticed this at my local Advance Auto Parts(AAP), with their house oil, with different grades of oils having different markings on the bottle/bottoms, that represent different blenders.

And too, this could determine where the oils are sold in each area of the country at *Walmart stores and which grade of oil such as, 5W20, 5W30, 10W30, 10W40 and their 15W40 that each blender makes for W*M.

Sometimes, the bottles/jugs can tip off a knowlageable customers, such as many here at BITOG, as to which blender is makieg W*M's oil. Exxon/Mobil has their own specific "Royal Blue" colored bottle that is shaped like the Red Exxon Oil Bottles.

And Warren Perf. Prod's(of Omaha) bottles have WPP or W/NE stampped on the bottom of their bottles. I can't answer for the others.

As to low price while maintaining profitability, it is the same as with any other house brand product: lower selling costs due to a lack of focused advertising. When you pay for a bottle of M1, Castrol, Pennzoil, etc., you're not only paying for the bottle and contents, but the fancy TV and magazine ads, billboards, and motorsport endorsements. Oil spokesholes don't schill for free!

I've been spending a lot of time recently trying to figure out who makes/supplies the Walmart brand Super Tech oil. Obviously Walmart does not manufacutre this oil so they have to purchase this oil somewhere. The Super Tech oil also comes with the approval stamp on each bottle so this indicates the oil has passed all requirements.

I tried searching this question here but was unable to find any answers. Another question raised is....if the Super Tech oil (Conventional & Synthetic) is the same as Castrol/Mobil 1/Valvoline...how is Walmart able to sell the oil so much cheaper?

This seems to be like the universe....nobody can explain it.

I think you are heading down the wrong path of trying to determine the blender and from there access the quality.

Walmart is huge (think a Fortune 1 company) they can get 10 blenders in a room and ask who can supply an oil to their specs for the lowest cost. They set the spec. And I would have to believe they hire lab analysis of the finished product.

But the contract could be split by area in country or for a time period of xxx number of cases. So go back 2 months from now and it may or may not be made by the same company.

I had a Walmart MAXX battery fail and got a replacement one under warranty. It was either the same store or one very close by. Two different battery manufactures for same exact battery over 2 years.

Another question raised is....if the Super Tech oil (Conventional & Synthetic) is the same as Castrol/Mobil 1/Valvoline...how is Walmart able to sell the oil so much cheaper?

That one's easy; you're assuming that Castrol/Mobil 1/Valvoline is selling their oil at a price point very near their production cost, which is almost certainly not the case. It's very likely that the manufacturer is selling their own oils at a huge markup, and also selling the exact same product at a lesser markup under a different brand.

Look at it this way (we'll use Castrol): Castrol can sell GTX at $3.75 per bottle and sell X amount per year. GTX's competition is really the other premium conventionals- PYB, Valvoline, Mobil Super 5000, etc... These oils are marketed primarily based on performance claims, not price.

The cheaper oils are aimed at a more price-sensitive consumer segment to whom the $0.75 (let's say) per bottle price difference is more important than any performance claims. They're either buying the cheapest oil they can, or the "best" cheap oil.

Neither group is really competing with each other- outside of promotions and sales, few people's decisions come down to Supertech vs. PYB.

So what a company like Castrol does is sell GTX at $3.75 a bottle, and turn around and sell the same oil or something similar to Wal-Mart to sell as Supertech at $3 a bottle. They make a profit on both bottles- just more on the GTX.

So by having both a premium and value brand, they sell more overall bottles of oil than if they had one alone, because the two brands aren't really competing with each other.

(this is also why the presence of competing premium synthetics like PP/PU or Edge Syntec/Edge Titanium is so perplexing to many people)

Warren Performance Products/Warren Distribution is the blender of most (all?) of Wally's oils. There is a different outfit, Warren Petroleum, that has no connection.http://www.wd-wpp.com/about-warren.html

Do not assume that the API emblem on the bottle means that the oils meets spec. Yes, usually, but it really means that the oil maker is using ingredients from an approved list and claims to be mixing them to the approved recipe. A few years ago Wally had to recall some gear oil that was not mixed to spec.

What is your question about base oil? Do you know what base oil is? It is a "base" product to which a package of additives is mixed in to make it a finished lubricant. There are lists of approved base oils (or approved mixtures of various base oils) that are the first ingredient in any oil specification.

_________________________
Every gun that is made, every warship launched..a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed.Gen. Eisenhower

Do not assume that the API emblem on the bottle means that the oils meets spec. Yes, usually, but it really means that the oil maker is using ingredients from an approved list and claims to be mixing them to the approved recipe. A few years ago Wally had to recall some gear oil that was not mixed to spec.

That's more of a QC issue than a deliberate attempt to mislabel their products though.

When was the recall of WallyWorld Gear Lube? Semi-Syn 75w-90, 80w-90, FullSyn 75w-140, 85w-140? I have a few bottles of 75w-90 and 75w-140 stashed away, and have 80w-90 and 85w-140 in more than one of my Cherokees.

Why, what does it matter? The manufacturer would affect your purchase decision rather than the specs?

And who said it is the same as Castrol/Mobil 1/Valvoline? I don't recall anyone here making that claim.

Originally Posted By: discobiscuit

I've been spending a lot of time recently trying to figure out who makes/supplies the Walmart brand Super Tech oil. Obviously Walmart does not manufacutre this oil so they have to purchase this oil somewhere. The Super Tech oil also comes with the approval stamp on each bottle so this indicates the oil has passed all requirements.

I tried searching this question here but was unable to find any answers. Another question raised is....if the Super Tech oil (Conventional & Synthetic) is the same as Castrol/Mobil 1/Valvoline...how is Walmart able to sell the oil so much cheaper?

I've been spending a lot of time recently trying to figure out who makes/supplies the Walmart brand Super Tech oil. Obviously Walmart does not manufacutre this oil so they have to purchase this oil somewhere. The Super Tech oil also comes with the approval stamp on each bottle so this indicates the oil has passed all requirements.

I tried searching this question here but was unable to find any answers. Another question raised is....if the Super Tech oil (Conventional & Synthetic) is the same as Castrol/Mobil 1/Valvoline...how is Walmart able to sell the oil so much cheaper?

This seems to be like the universe....nobody can explain it.

Ok ... all the petroleum industry has been caught red handed. Ssshhhh all oil is the same , Walmart sets the world oil price.

Tell no one or the CIA , NSA and FBI will be after you for telling the secret , so Ssshhhh.

_________________________
I sold and used Skelly Supeme an Supreme Plus Now I use Mobil Oils99 Dodge I-6 Delvac 15w4001 PT Cruiser Mobil Super 5w30